Tool support for testing (CAST)

Chapter 6 Software Testing ISTQB / ISEB Foundation Exam Practice Tool support for testing (CAST) 1 Principles 2 Lifecycle 3 Static testing 4 Dynamic testtechniques 5 Management 6 Tools

1 2 3 ISTQB / ISEB Foundation Exam Practice 4 5 6 Tool support Contents Types of CAST tool Why capture/replay is not test automation Automating and testing are separate skills Best practice

Testing tool classification Requirements testing tools Static analysis tools Test design tools Test data preparation tools Test running tools - character-based, GUI Comparison tools Test harnesses and drivers Performance test tools Dynamic analysis tools Debugging tools Test management tools Coverage measurement

Where tools fit Req Anal Acc Test Requirements testing Performancemeasurement Function Sys Test Test running Comparison Test design Test harness & drivers Design Int Test Test data preparation Debug Dynamic analysis Coverage measures Static analysis Code Comp. Test Test management tools

Requirements testing tools • Automated support for verification and validation of requirements models • consistency checking • animation Tool information available from: Ovum Evaluates Software Testing Tools (subscription service) CAST Report, 1999 World Wide Web

Static analysis tools • Provide information about the quality of software • Code is examined, not executed • Objective measures • cyclomatic complexity • others: nesting levels, size

Test design tools • Generate test inputs • from a formal specification or CASE repository • from code (e.g. code not covered yet)

Test data preparation tools • Data manipulation • selected from existing databases or files • created according to some rules • edited from other sources

Test running tools 1 • Interface to the software being tested • Run tests as though run by a human tester • Test scripts in a programmable language • Data, test inputs and expected results held in test repositories • Most often used to automate regression testing

Test running tools 2 • Character-based • simulates user interaction from dumb terminals • capture keystrokes and screen responses • GUI (Graphical User Interface) • simulates user interaction for WIMP applications (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer) • capture mouse movement, button clicks, and keyboard inputs • capture screens, bitmaps, characters, object states

Comparison tools • Detect differences between actual test results and expected results • screens, characters, bitmaps • masking and filtering • Test running tools normally include comparison capability • Stand-alone comparison tools for files or databases

Test harnesses and drivers • Used to exercise software which does not have a user interface (yet) • Used to run groups of automated tests or comparisons • Often custom-build • Simulators (where testing in real environment would be too costly or dangerous)

Performance testing tools • Load generation • drive application via user interface or test harness • simulates realistic load on the system & logs the number of transactions • Transaction measurement • response times for selected transactions via user interface • Reports based on logs, graphs of load versus response times

Dynamic analysis tools • Provide run-time information on software (while tests are run) • allocation, use and de-allocation of resources, e.g. memory leaks • flag unassigned pointers or pointer arithmetic faults

Debugging tools • Used by programmers when investigating, fixing and testing faults • Used to reproduce faults and examine program execution in detail • single-stepping • breakpoints or watchpoints at any statement • examine contents of variables and other data

Test management tools • Management of testware: test plans, specifications, results • Project management of the test process, e.g. estimation, schedule tests, log results • Incident management tools (may include workflow facilities to track allocation, correction and retesting) • Traceability (of tests to requirements, designs)

Coverage measurement tools • Objective measure of what parts of the software structure was executed by tests • Code is instrumented in a static analysis pass • Tests are run through the instrumented code • Tool reports what has and has not been covered by those tests, line by line and summary statistics • Different types of coverage: statement, branch, condition, LCSAJ, et al

1 2 3 ISTQB / ISEB Foundation Exam Practice 4 5 6 Tool support Content Types of CAST tool Why capture/replay is not test automation Automating and testing are separate skills Best practice

Advantages of recording manual tests • documents what the tester actually did • useful for capturing ad hoc tests (e.g. end users) • may enable software failures to be reproduced • produces a detailed “script” • records actual inputs • can be used by a technical person to implement a more maintainable automated test • ideal for one-off tasks • such as long or complicated data entry

Captured test scripts • will not be very understandable • it is a programming language after all! • during maintenance will need to know more than can ever be ‘automatically commented’ • will not be resilient to many software changes • a simple interface change can impact many scripts • do not include verification • may be easy to add a few simple screen based comparisons

Robust Tests Sensitive Tests Susceptibility to changes Implementation effort Miss faults Failure analysis effort Storage space Compare seldom vs. compare often

Too much sensitivity = redundancy Three tests, each changes a different field If all tests are robust, the unexpected change is missed Test output If all tests are sensitive, they all show the unexpected change Unexpected change occurs for every test

Automated verification • there are many choices to be made • dynamic / post execution, compare lots / compare little, resilience to change / bug finding effective • scripts can soon become very complex • more susceptible to change, harder to maintain • there is a lot of work involved • speed and accuracy of tool use is very important • usually there is more verification that can(and perhaps should) be done • automation can lead to better testing (not guaranteed!)

Effort to automate • The effort required to automate any one test varies greatly • typically between 2 and 10 times the manual test effort • and depends on: • tool, skills, environment and software under test • existing manual test process which may be: • unscripted manual testing • scripted (vague) manual testing • scripted (detailed) manual testing

WizzoComputer Unscripted manual testing “Try this” Step 4:checkit worked OK “Try that” “What about ...” “What if ...” Step 1:identify conditions to test Step 2:thinkup specific inputs Step 3:enter the inputs

WizzoComputer Scripted (vague) manual testing Step 4:checkit worked OK Step 1:read what to do Step 2:thinkup specific inputs Step 3:enter the inputs

A vague manual test script

WizzoComputer Scripted (detailed) manual testing Step 3:checkit worked OK Step 1:read what to do Step 2:enter the inputs

Don’t automate too much long term • as the test suite grows ever larger, so do the maintenance costs • maintenance effort is cumulative, benefits are not • the test suite takes on a life of its own • testers depart, others arrive, test suite grows larger nobody knows exactly what they all do … dare not throw away tests in case they’re important • inappropriate tests are automated • automation becomes an end in itself

Maintain control • keep pruning • remove dead-wood: redundant, superceded, duplicated, worn-out • challenge new additions (what’s the benefit?) • measure costs & benefits • maintenance costs • time or effort saved, faults found?

Invest • commit and maintain resources • “champion” to promote automation • technical support • consultancy/advice • scripting • develop and maintain library • data driven approach, lots of re-use

Automate Tests to automate • run many times • regression tests • mundane • expensive to perform manually • time consuming and necessary • multi-user tests, endurance/reliability tests • difficult to perform manually • timing critical • complex / intricate

Automate Tests not to automate • not run often • if no need (rather than expensive to run manually) • one off tests (unless several iterations likely and build cost can be minimised) • not important • will not find serious problems • usability tests • do the colours look nice? • some aspects of multi-media applications

1 2 3 ISTQB / ISEB Foundation Exam Practice 4 5 6 Tool support Summary: Key Points There are many different types of tool support for testing, covering all areas of the life cycle. Automation requires planning and up-front effort Identify and adopt best practice

Tool support for testing (CAST)